Method of making shopping bags



May 10, 1949.

Filed March 4, 1946 F. P. WINESETT 2,469,536

METHOD OF MAKING SHOPPING BAGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT'OR FRANKLIN WINESETT ATTORNEY MaylO, 1949. P.' WlNE$ETT- I 6 ,5

METHOD OF MAKING SHOPPING BAGS Filed March 4, 1946 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 INVENTOR FRANKLIN F. WINESETT ATTOR NEY Patented May 10, 1949 METHOD OF MAKING SHOPPING BAGS Franklin F winesett, Canias, Wash., assignor to Crown 'Zellerbach Corporation, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Application March 4, 1946, Serial No. 651,837

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to shopping bags made preferably of heavy paper, or other suitable material, and, more specifically, to bags having a pair of loop handles attached near the top or open end of the bag for convenience in carryin the bag and its contents.

Shopping bags of this general type are very extensively used, and various methods and means have been devised for securing the ordinary cord or loop handles to the bags, such as securing the ends of the loops to the outside or inside of the bag by staples, attaching the ends of the loops to strips or patches of cardboard and then Socuring such strips Or patches to the bag, etc.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved and simplified method of forming the top of the bag and mounting the handles therein.

Another object of this invention is to provide a handled shopping bag in which the usual stapling of the handles, either on the inside or the outside of the bag, will be eliminated.

A further object of this invention is to provide a shopping bag with a folded top and with handles having their ends secured to and covered by the bag, in a simple and satisfactory manner, without requiring the attachment of any additional reinforcement strips to the bag web for this purpose.

These objects and incidental advantages I attain by forming the top of the bag and mounting the handles thereon in the manner hereinafter briefly described. In the following description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic representation of the various stages in the forming of the bag and the attaching of the handles thereto;

Fig. 2A is a fragmentary view in perspective of one of the pairs of slits formed in the ba web during stage A of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2B is a similar fragmentary view of the same slit after the top edge of the bag web has been folded over, such folding occurring during the stage B of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 20 shows the flap formed by the same slit folded back on the inside of the bag web, which folding occurs during stage C of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2D illustrates the application of glue to the underside of the Han and to the exposed 2 section of the web, which occurs during stage D of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2E illustrates the positioning of the ends of one of the bag handles preparatory to securing the same in place, this operation occurring during stage E of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2F illustrates the same handle finally secured in place, which corresponds to stage F of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of one of the severed and partially folded web sections for the bag with the top folded and the handles attached thereto prior to the formin of the bag tube complete; and

Fig. 4 is a View of a finished bag embodying my invention.

Ordinarily, in the making of shopping bags, the paper or other material is first formed into a tube and the tube is moved longitudinally through the ba machine and is cut into required lengths for the separate bags, whereupon the bottom of each bag is formed. The folding of the top, if the top is folded, and the attaching of the loop handles is done subsequently. In my method, however, the part of the web which is to become the top of the bag is first completed and then the section of the paper or other bag material for each bag is severed from the web and folded so as to form the bag tube. The bag sections move laterally instead of longitudinally in the machine until the bag tube is formed, and thereafter the tube moves longitudinally to enable a bag bottom to be formed on each section in the usual manner.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the paper or web W from which the bags are to be made is unwound from roll II and moves from right to left, as viewed in Fig. 1. The transverse broken lines I2 indicate the boundaries of the sections of the web from which each bag is made and the web is later severed along the section lines. Actually no cutting or folding occurs at these section lines until later.-

-During the first stage of the forming of the bag by my method, which stage is represented by the letter A in Fig. 1, a pair of broadened U-shaped cuts or slits l3 are made close to one edge l5 of the web in the relative position and location illustrated in stage A of Fig. 1. These cuts or slits i3 correspondtothe desired location of the two handles in each section of the web from which a bag is to be made. Fig. 2A shows one of these slits more clearly. Each U-shaped slit l3 results in a rectangular tab or flap [4 being formedin the web Hi. It is understood that this slitting or cutting of the web is to be done by any suitable means, no means being shown in the drawings since this is unnecessary and since such means itself would not constitute part of the present invention.

As the web ll] moves from stage A to stage B, as indicated in Fig. 1, the edge l5 of the web is folded over on top of the web by any suitable folding means (not shown), so that the cuts or slits l3 and the resulting flaps M will lie on the top fold, this being shown more clearly in Fig. 213.

During the next stage C each flap I4 is pushed up and folded back, forming a slight crease line It as shown in Fig. 2C. During this same stage the folded-over edge of the web is pressed down along the outer crease ll. This outer crease I! eventually becomes the top edge of the finished bag. The lifting of each flap l4 during stage C exposes a space l8 on the underlying web 10, and during the next stage D (Figs. 1 and 2D), glue is applied over the exposed spaces is and the opposed faces of the flaps M. The web is now ready for-the attaching of the handles.

The attaching of the handles occurs during stage E. The handles l9 are formed of short lengths of cord or other suitable material which have been previously cutinto the desired lengths for loop handles and which preferably have had their ends unwound as indicated at 19' in Fig. 2E. The cutting, shaping, unwinding or flattening and positionin of the handles are done by a separate machine, which constitute a separate invention and thus is not included in the present invention. The ends IQ of each loop or handle iii are placed in the glued space 18 of the web, as shown clearly in Fig. 2E. The web, during the next stage, F, passes under or through suitable folding and pressing means, such, for example, as a folding bar and pressing roller, (not shown),

which causes each flap M to be pressed down over the corresponding space 18 and over the ends of the loop handle l9, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2F. This results in the firm seeming of the handle 19 in place.

During the next stage G, indicated in Fig. 1, the

section of the web corresponding to a single bag portion is severed from the web I9 by a transverse cut forming the cut edge 20 (Fig. 1). During this same stage glue is applied in a strip (indicated at 2! in Fig. 1), along the edge 28 and the opposite or forward edge of the bag section is folded over to form a flap 22. This glued strip 2| and folded-over flap 22 are shown more clearly in Fig. 3. A finger 23 (Fig. l), carrying a short sharp pointed pin, now engages the bag section,

and, in cooperation with a guideway 24, gives the bag section a 90 degree turn. At the same time a mechanical folder, diagrammatically indicated at 25 in Fig. 1, folds the severed and prepared bag section over on itself causing the bag section to be brought into the position indicated at the extreme left in Fig. l. The folded section then passes through squeeze rolls or belts (not shown) which cause the g ue strip to be p essed down on the top of flap 22, thus causing the bag tube.

All that remains to be done, after the tube is formed containing the folded top and handle mounted therein, is to complete the bottom of the'bag. This is done with any of the suitable bag-bottom forming machines now in common use, and preferably what is well known as a satchel bottom is given to the bag. Such a "satchel bottom need not be described since it is common practice to form such bottoms in shopping bags and in other bags of this general type. Such a bag bottom is shown at 26 in my completed bag illustrated by Fig. 4.

Thus in my improved shopping bag the handles are securely attached to the bag without the use of any metal staples and without the employment of any additional reinforcing strips of cardboard or paper. The ends of the handles do not extend to the outside surface of the bag and consequently the outside surface of the bag remains smooth and unbroken and there is nothingon the bag to. catch on the clothing of the user. The inside of the bag is also finished substantially smooth. The folding over of the top edge of the bag in the mounting of the handles provides the bag with a double-thick rolled-over edge at the top which is very desirable since this avoids any rough edge at the bag top and adds desirable strength at the top of the bag.

Some modifications could be made in the bag without departing from the principle of my invention. Thus the cuts or slits 13 could be differently shaped and the flaps or tabs i l need not be rectangular. Also it would be possible to have a separate tab made for each end of each handle instead of having the two ends of each handle brought under the same tab. However, I consider the arrangement which I have shownwith the two ends of each handle secured under the same tab and with each tab substantially rectangular in shape to be practical and preferable.

I claim:

1. The improvement in the method of making handled shopping bags which consists in making slits at spaced intervals near one edge of the web so as to form tabs, folding said marginal web portion and tabs back over the main body of the web, lifting said tabs on said folded marginal portion so that the underside of said tabs will then be exposed, applying adhesive to the underside of said lifted tabs, inserting the ends of handle loops between said lifted tabs and the exposed spaces on the main body of the web under said tabs, pressing said tabs and therewith said underlying handle loop ends firmly down against said exposed spaces on the main body of the web, cutting the web transversely into bag sections of equal size with each section including a pair of said attached handle loops, forming each of said severed sections into a bag tube by making a seam along said transverse web cut, and forming a bag bottom in said bag tube at the opposite end from said handles.

2. The improvement in the method of making handled shopping bags which consists in making U-shaped slits at spaced intervals near one edge of the web so as to form tabs, folding said marginal web portion and tabs back over the main body of the web, lifting said tabs on said folded marginal portion so that the underside of said tabs will then be exposed, applying adhesive to the underside of said lifted tabs and to the exposed spaces on the main body of the web under said lifted tabs, inserting the unwound ends of handle loops between said lifted tabs and said exposed spaces on the web, pressing said tabs and therewith said underlying handle loop ends firmly down on said exposed spaces of the main body of'the web, cutting the web transversely into bag sections of equal size with each section including a pair of said attached handle loops, forming each of said severed sections into a bag tube by making a seam along said transverse web cut, and forming a bag bottom in said bag tube at the opposite end from said handles.

3. The improved method of forming the top portions of handled shopping bags which consists in cutting tabs at predetermined intervals near one margin of the web from which the bag bodies are made, folding the marginal web portion and tabs back over the main portion of the web, lifting said tabs on said folded marginal portion so that the underside of said tabs will then be exposed, applying adhesive to the underside of said lifted tabs, inserting the ends of handle loops between said lifted tabs and the exposed spaces on the main body of the web, and pressing said tabs and therewith said underlying handle loop ends firmly against said exposed spaces on the main web portion, whereby said handle loop ends will be secured between said tabs and said main web portion and said folded marginal portion of said web will provide a double-thick rolled-over edge for the bag top.

4. The improved method of forming the top portions of handled shopping bags which consists in cutting rectangular tabs at predetermined intervals near one margin of the web from which the bag bodies are made, folding the marginal web portion and tabs back over the main portion of the web, lifting said tabs on said folded marginal portion so that the underside of said tabs will then be exposed, applying adhesive to the underside of said lifted tabs and to the exposed rectangular spaces on the main web portion under said tabs, inserting the unwound ends of handle loops between said lifted tabs and said exposed spaces on said main web, and pressing said tabs and therewith said underlying handle loop ends firmly against said exposed spaces on said main web portion, whereby said unwound handle loop ends will be secured between said tabs and the underlying spaces on said main web portion and said folded marginal portion of said web will provide a double-thick rolled-over edge for the bag top.

FRANKLIN P. WINESETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,799,072 Steen Mar. 31, 1931 2,062,617 Steen Dec. 1, 1936 2,076,680 Steen Apr. 13, 1937 2,095,139 Kind Oct. 5, 1937 2,221,617 Steen Nov. 12, 1940 

